P18-6 Sampling Rate Discrimination: 44.1 kHz vs. 88.2 kHz—Amandine Pras, Catherine Guastavino, McGill University - Montreal, Quebec, CanadaIt is currently common practice for sound engineers to record digital music using high-resolution formats, and then down sample the files to 44.1 kHz for commercial release. This study aims at investigating whether listeners can perceive differences between musical files recorded at 44.1 kHz and 88.2 kHz with the same analog chain and type of AD-converter. Sixteen expert listeners were asked to compare 3 versions (44.1 kHz, 88.2 kHz, and the 88.2 kHz version down-sampled to 44.1 kHz) of 5 musical excerpts in a blind ABX task. Overall, participants were able to discriminate between files recorded at 88.2 kHz and their 44.1 kHz down-sampled version. Furthermore, for the orchestral excerpt, they were able to discriminate between files recorded at 88.2 kHz and files recorded at 44.1 kHz. Convention Paper 8101

I read the full paper and I think there may be some transitive errors here.

It looks like in some cases listeners can detect a difference between 88.1 and 44.1 native , not between 44.1 down and 44.1 native and not between 88.1 and 44.1 down for the same material. This implies that 44.1 native lacks something but 88.1 to 44.1 retains what was lost in the 44.1 native. This does not appear to make sense since both 44.1 native and 44.1 down have the same limits (give or take dithering concerns) - I am confused by this. ???

This does not appear to make sense since both 44.1 native and 44.1 down have the same limits (give or take dithering concerns) - I am confused by this. ???

If the statistics were significant, it would make sense, because downsampling 88.2 to 44.1, you can use perfect digital antialias filters, while recording directly at 44.1, you have to use analog antialias filters, in order for your signal to be lowpassed before it reaches the ADC.